Serissa styling and advice.

[MattE]

Hey all.
Just wanted to show you a serrissa I just picked up. I got a good deal on it and fell in love with the semi cascade. I tool the wires off as it was to tight and left on to long.

A if some of you have styling ideas please share thoughts.

B it's in horrible soil right now. Very muddy not well draining. I know I shouldn't bare root it and I know these are finicky. But should I slip pot it and gently tease out loose soil or just leave it? I have it under grow lights right now with my other tropicals as it's to cold for outdoors.
Any other advise welcome. He said he had it for about 3 years. Seems decently healthy for not having grow lights or anything..he did have it outside all summer.
hope it won't hate the new environment lol.

 

[Katie0317]

Hey all.
Just wanted to show you a serrissa I just picked up. I got a good deal on it and fell in love with the semi cascade. I tool the wires off as it was to tight and left on to long.

A if some of you have styling ideas please share thoughts.

B it's in horrible soil right now. Very muddy not well draining. I know I shouldn't bare root it and I know these are finicky. But should I slip pot it and gently tease out loose soil or just leave it? I have it under grow lights right now with my other tropicals as it's to cold for outdoors.
Any other advise welcome. He said he had it for about 3 years. Seems decently healthy for not having grow lights or anything..he did have it outside all summer.
hope it won't hate the new environment lol.

Did he say why he was growing the one branch and not pruning it? Just seems odd to me but I'd like to hear what his thinking is.

Serissas aren't cascading so I don't believe that was his plan.

I'm in a semi-tropical location and serissas love it here so they're fairly easy to grow. Lots of light is the reason they like it.

Don't overwater or you'll kill it! Let it dry out a bit and clean off the debris from the top of the soil and remove the suckers from the base of the trunks. They tend to grow suckers so stay after them and remove when you see them.

It's a bit late in the season to repot. I'm unfamiliar with growing them indoors with lights. They like a LOT of light and do not like wet feet. So while the dirt is muddy you'll need to let it dry out a bit but not dry out completely.

Serissas are mostly picky about light and watering. They don't appreciate being moved and want an even steady water supply. I water every day but mine get a lot of light which causes them to dry out on a steady basis.

Am not going to suggest repotting since you've just moved it and they don't like being moved. I'd try and make it work until spring and repot then. Be patient. It looks healthy and on a good course. Enjoy.

 

[MattE]

yeah i figured i would try and leave it till closer to spring when i can get it outside.
And he was definitely going for a semi cascade it was all wired i took all the wiring off as it was biting into the wood ill re wire it once its settled in.
I do like the semi cascade look i will probably keep it ...its unique and im not a purist i just like what looks interesting to me lol.
Appreciate your input thank you very much,

 

[p_anova]

To me, it seems that there is not much taper and all of the branches appear too thick to wire down. I would leave it alone till Spring then repot and let it recover (though the middle of summer is the best time to repot tropicals). After that, I would chop back the branches to interior growth, saving one branch as a sacrifice, then wire down any new branches that emerge.

 

[MattE]

thank you for your advise , i appreciate that.
i will definitely prune it back

I see there is alot of tiny little bugs in the soil which worries me ..little white gnats and some spider mites i dont really want getting into my other plants. tempted to chance changing the soil and seeing if it recovers.. i know i shouldn't but not sure if its safer to use a home concoction ect.

 

[p_anova]

Neem oil is always an option as well as yellow sticky tape, pesticides etc. Your choice.

 

[eugenev2]

Hey all.
Just wanted to show you a serrissa I just picked up. I got a good deal on it and fell in love with the semi cascade. I tool the wires off as it was to tight and left on to long.

A if some of you have styling ideas please share thoughts.

B it's in horrible soil right now. Very muddy not well draining. I know I shouldn't bare root it and I know these are finicky. But should I slip pot it and gently tease out loose soil or just leave it? I have it under grow lights right now with my other tropicals as it's to cold for outdoors.
Any other advise welcome. He said he had it for about 3 years. Seems decently healthy for not having grow lights or anything..he did have it outside all summer.
hope it won't hate the new environment lol.

Cannot offer much in the way of advice for care and maintenance, only recently bought my own little starter material. So i'm sharing pictures i'm using for inspiration.

There is a bonsai nursery near me that have a number of these serissas styled in the style of picture 1 (which made me fall in love with the trees). A bit mallsai I know, but if it can made into a more naturalistic shape such as picture 2 then you have my vote

 

[Katie0317]

I study with David VanBuskirk at D&L nursery in Oklawaha Fl. He's nationally recognized as specializing in serissas. You can probably find a few of his pictures online.

Think people in Florida grow them differently and I see a lot of finished ones at his nursery and others. You may want to take a look.

Neem oil and soap based sprays will do the job. I use the soap based sprays before neem oil. It kills pretty much everything and does no harm.

Keep in mind that serissa roots grow straight down. They're long, thin and delicate. You don't need to trim them unless you see root rot. With root rot the ends of the roots turn black and mushy and you have to remove that. If you don't get the mud issue cleared up you'll need to repot if you suspect root rot. The roots need to dry out between watering.

So you're in the middle...Repot or wait and try and get the soil issue fixed. I would wait and work on the soil.

I'm guessing he grew that branch out as a sacrifice branch but it's in an odd spot to me. I would have chosen a branch in the middle so the scar wouldn't show but regardless. If you want to try and do something with a cascading branch...Good luck with that, it's your tree. Like I said, take a look at a few mature trees and see which look you like.

I like a full found serissa tree. These trees look underdeveloped and lacking in a number of things but do what you choose. I'd study up a bit though and learn all you can about this variety of tree.

 

[Pixar]

Matt use Neen oil and dishwasher liquid ( works perfectly )

 

[MattE]

I study with David VanBuskirk at D&L nursery in Oklawaha Fl. He's nationally recognized as specializing in serissas. You can probably find a few of his pictures online.

Think people in Florida grow them differently and I see a lot of finished ones at his nursery and others. You may want to take a look.

Neem oil and soap based sprays will do the job. I use the soap based sprays before neem oil. It kills pretty much everything and does no harm.

Keep in mind that serissa roots grow straight down. They're long, thin and delicate. You don't need to trim them unless you see root rot. With root rot the ends of the roots turn black and mushy and you have to remove that. If you don't get the mud issue cleared up you'll need to repot if you suspect root rot. The roots need to dry out between watering.

So you're in the middle...Repot or wait and try and get the soil issue fixed. I would wait and work on the soil.

I'm guessing he grew that branch out as a sacrifice branch but it's in an odd spot to me. I would have chosen a branch in the middle so the scar wouldn't show but regardless. If you want to try and do something with a cascading branch...Good luck with that, it's your tree. Like I said, take a look at a few mature trees and see which look you like.

I like a full found serissa tree. These trees look underdeveloped and lacking in a number of things but do what you choose. I'd study up a bit though and learn all you can about this variety of tree.

Thankyou for your advice and knowledge, i Slipped it out of the pot a couple days ago and it was abit mushy on the bottom with a bit of smell i tease the roots out and trimmed the mushy bit .. the rest of the roots were plenty full and healthy i did put it in higher grade bonsai soil mix... its been a couple days and leaves havent fallen yet , i have been keeping humidity up and its getting a solid 10 hours of grow lights ( they are not giving off any heat). i know it was a big risk... hope it doesnt die.

As for that branch he had it wired as a cascading branch , could have been sacrificial but the gentleman i got it from didnt seem like he knew what he was doing ( he only had 2 bonsais ever )
not sure how to style it but im going to check out the guy you mentioned above. im gonna give it a good couple months to get some strength and its roots set before i think about touching it..
How soon after they get upset do they drop their leaves?